A little background...

This is my niece, but she and I haven't met yet. She is the daughter of my half brother whom I have only recently met. She doesn't have much in the way of family connections and is really excited about this new development. They live out of state and her birthday is at the end of the month. I would like to make the first gesture and reach out to her and wish her a happy birthday.

Any ideas on age appropriate gifts? I don't have kids so I have no idea where to start.

TIA

A Target or Barnes & Nobles gift card.

I would go the gift card route.....

check her town/state and see if they have one of the following:

Target
Aeropostale
Hollister
Victoria Secret ( don't think I am crazy, they have great body sprays and "PINK" jacets)
Bath and Body Works
James Avery

Does she have a gun yet?

I would go with a simple piece of silver jewelry for that age. It's a gift that will always be age appropriate, so she'll still wear it 20 years from now and remember where she got it. A necklace with a silver pendant, or a birthstone pendant if you can afford it.

Gift cards seem so generic though. For my niece one year I got her a few cute scarves and headwraps from Claire's/Icing in the mall. She loved them.

A lot of good suggestions already. I'm just chiming in to say I think a Victoria's Secret gift card is a bad idea. Yes, I know they carry items other than lingerie, but it could be misconstrued to send the wrong message. It's just kind of creepy to send a VS gift card to a 12-year old girl you don't even know. I have a (step)daughter that age and I would not give her a VS gift card. There are plenty of other more appropriate gifts.

As a Mom, do NOT go the Victoria Secrets gift card. That is just super creepy and I wouldn't allow you to be around my kids again. The problem you have with never meeting her is that you don't know what kind of 12 year old she is. Depending on your price point, you can't go wrong with a Polaroid camera - seriously the kids LOVE this or cash. While, cash is a bit impersonal it does go with everything. Don't over do it.Once you meet her, you can ask her what she likes and purchase gifts from those preferences.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/fujifilm-instax-mini-8-instant-film-camera-purple/4295176.p?id=1219622785518&skuId=4295176

I have daughters. Starbuck is right on the button. The gift card veto posters are also correct. Good luck shopping at James Avery!

Not sure how much you want to spend, but an ipod touch makes an awesome gift for a pre-teen girl. My daughter is physically attached to hers at all times it seems....

I recently heard of someone gifting a Starbucks gift card to a child. I think that is an odd gift. I would ditto a piece of jewelry or maybe even some TAMU gear.

Checking Etsy and James Avery. Will probably go with a bracelet and an iTunes card.

Definitely not going the Victoria Secret route for a 12 year old.

TA

iPhone6 or vintage Atari 2600 never opened

the new Amazon Fire will be $34.99 @Best Buy on Black Friday (normally $50.00). Nice tablet, expandable memory.

Vera Bradley gift certificate.......at least $50

haha some hilariously bad gift givers on this thread. gift card? lame. VICTORIA'S. SECRET gift card? very very creepy.

the silver jewelry idea is the best. classic, memorable, not over-the-top, personal, not creepy.

Depending on how much you want to spend, I would:

- give her a modest gift card,

- Give her something to remember you by, a necklace or bracelet? or something that she can wear or hang in her bedroom that will remind her of you every time she noticed it, Put it on a large stuffed teddy bear and she will get a kick out of it.

- and I would design and print on some really nice decorative paper some personalized statement to her and then state that this is a pass to allow you to visit or call her anytime she wants someone to talk to about anything in her life.

Why is a gift card lame? Especially for someone you don't know. This way the gal can pick out what she likes not what you like! Victoria's Secret gift card is very inappropriate for any teenager when there are many other options.

A gift card is a great gift for someone you don't know, but it also doesn't take a lot of thought. Judging just on the fact that the OP made this post, it seems like he wants to use the gift as an example to show his niece and half brother that he is willing to put time and energy into a relationship with them.

In certain situations it would be fine, but To me, a gift card in conjunction with other gifts are great, but a gift card by itself is not very personal

I visited some relative a few years ago at Christmas time and basically all the family did was give each other gift cards. I thought to my self, why didn't they all just get in the car on Christmas eve together and go purchase something for themselves that they always wanted.

Necklace or bracelet. James Avery is great but a few other favorites of mine are vintage pearl website and waxing poetic. WP mixed several medals and gives it a nice change to silver that's affordable.

As the mother of a 13-year-old and the troop leader for 9 more 12 to 13-year-olds, they LOVE Starbucks but they also love places like Bath and Body Works, Target, and Amazon. If you don't know her well, gift cards are better. My daughter would not have liked a scarf or an iPod or jewelry or pretty much any of the aforementioned gifts because her tastes are very specific and I've found that to be the case for all of her friends as well. Some girls will like these gifts but if you give an iPod touch to a child who already has a smart phone, it's a bit of a waste and even their mothers don't choose clothes for them by age 12.

Beef ribs from C&J.

James Avery has a niece charm and a cake charm so you could get her a bracelet and two charms.

a Bible would be ideal

For the actual gift route, I'd go with James Avery - they have lovely classic jewelry that's well made and will last a lifetime. If a gift certificate is more your style, get online and see if you can get her one at a local nail salon for a mani/pedi - add in some extra so she can get a design on her toes. If you're feeling really generous, get her enough for two, so she and a friend can have a girls' outing.

Give her something she'll cherish - your time. Get a birthday card and write in it that your gift is a shopping trip for the two of you and then take her to go buy an outfit. That way you get to spend some quality time with her and everytime she wears that outfit she'll remember your time together.

Sailors idea is excellent, though at that age I'd recommend something more lasting than clothes, which get out grown and go out of style so fast at that age.